Chats From The Deck is a compilation of recordings hosted by Dave Shallbetter, volunteer chairman of Sun 'n Fun Radio 1510 AM, part of the annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-in held in Lakeland, Florida, each April. (For more information on the fly-in please visit their website- sun-n-fun.org) Some are recordings of live interviews from the deck of the radio station. Others are pre-recorded interviews done by volunteer reporters during the fly-in. There may even be some Chats From The Virtual Deck and archived recordings from years gone by...
PLEASE NOTE: These recordings are copyrighten by Sun 'n Fun and may not be used for anything other than your listening enjoyment without the express written permission of Sun 'n Fun.
Donations to support SnFRadio can be sent to SnFRadio@gmail.com through PayPal or by clicking below:

Wings 'n Things is hosted annually by the Florida Air Museum at SUN 'n FUN beginning the first Friday in November ( Nov 4, 5, 6 for 2011). It is a 3 day camping weekend showcasing the dynamic world of aviation especially for youth ages 5 to 18. Aviation enthusiasts gather to share their knowledge and interests with youth groups and families throughout Florida and the southeast. Activities support Girl Scout, Boy Scout and Royal Rangers badge requirements and peak the interest of kids who just like airplanes. Local families and groups can join the fun with a Saturday only pass. Aircraft parking is available on the grass in front of the FAA building for those flying in. Pre-registration is required for all participants (download a registration packet.)

Wings 'n Things is held on the SUN 'n FUN campus, families and youth groups enjoy the expansive campground and the breadth of activities offered (dry camping included with admission –full RV Hookups available). Programmed events begin at 8 p.m. Friday evening with a NASA speaker and an astronomy demonstration. Campers activities begin at 900 a.m.. Many youth take advantage of SUN 'n FUN’s First Flight program (weather permitting). Lunch is served at noon with activities continuing from 1p.m. to 4p.m.. Saturday evening, adults and youth enjoy movies in our pavilion or the huge campfire in the campground. The fun continues Sunday with church services, museum tours and map quest challenges.

"All at SUN 'n FUN are saddened by the news this weekend from Friday’s horrific accident at the Air Races in Reno, Nevada and then by Saturday’s tragic loss at The Thunder over the Blue Ridge show in Martinsburg, West Virginia. We offer our sympathies to all those who have been impacted by each of these unfortunate tragedies. On a personal note, we extend our support to the family of Jimmy Leeward, who perished at Reno. He was a friend and frequent contributor to SUN 'n FUN over the years. Both of these incidents poignantly reaffirm the importance that SUN 'n FUN places on safety, both in the air and on the ground. We are firmly committed to do all we can to assure the safety of all our guests who share the inspiring world of aviation with us each year.''

In our partnership with the Polk County School District Sun 'n Fun Radio is helping to publicize this search for a Middle School Aerospace Technology teacher.

News From the Florida Air Museum at SUN 'n FUN:Lakeland, FL Sleepy Hill Middle School is looking for a teacher to teach Aerospace Technology. This is a middle school preparatory program that is vertically aligned to Kathleen High School's Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA)located on the SUN 'n FUN campus. The purpose of this program is to provide students with an opportunity to explore the area of aerospace technology and its associated careers. The program also provides students with a foundation of knowledge and technically oriented experiences in the study of aerospace and engineering technologies, a review of its history and effect upon our lives, and the choosing of an occupation in aviation, aerospace, or engineering. The content and activities will also include the study of safety and leadership skills, as well as introduction to skills in engineering, flight, meteorology, flight physiology, and space exploration. This program further provides introduction to the demonstration of the technological tools, machines, instruments, materials, management, processes and systems in engineering and the aviation/aerospace business and industry. The ideal candidate for this position should have a minimum of a private pilot or ground school instructor license and/or industry experience in the field of engineering or aviation.

In this Virtual Deck Interview, Dave chats with John Burton. They recap Sun 'n Fun 2011, discuss what's in store for Sun 'n Fun 2012, and John talks about his new roll as president of The Florida Air Museum.

The Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in and Expo will soon start, but for SnFRadio volunteers, the work is goes on year round! And we’ve been very BUSY!

SnFRadio Goes World Wide- World Wide Web that is!

SnFRadio is pleased to announce that, thanks to a continuing partnership with LiveATC.net, SnFRadio will be audio streamed over the internet during the 2011 Sun 'n Fun International Fly-in & Expo, held March 29- April 3 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, FL. The best news is streaming will continue year round!

Listeners all over the world will be able to go to the Sun 'n Fun website (www.sun-n-fun.org) or the LiveATC.net website (www.LiveATC.net), click on a link and listen to SnFRadio Live! And, thanks to LiveATC.net's mobile version (m.liveatc.net) and their iPhone app, you won't have to be at your computer to listen, any internet capable mobile device will be able to tune in!

The partnership agreement has SnFRadio providing LiveATC.net with 4 different audio streams, SnFRadio, and 3 of the Air Traffic Control frequencies from Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. So not only can you listen to SnFRadio on the web, but you can also hear the Lakeland Air Traffic Controllers safely guide our visitors in.

If you'd like to try it out or bookmark the page, the audio stream is up & running right now. Until Sun 'n Fun's opening day, March 29, we are airing “The Holding Pattern” It’s pre-recorded information on the 2011 Sun 'n Fun International fly-in and Expo. Simply go to- www.liveatc.net/snf

Dave Pascoe, an avid IFR-rated pilot and aviation enthusiast, founded LiveATC.net in 2003. LiveATC.net started by broadcasting communications from the Boston Logan (KBOS) and JFK (KJFK) Airports, and since then has grown internationally to cover many airports in all corners of the world. LiveATC.net is the world's most extensive network of live audio feeds focused exclusively on aviation communications. It is recognized internationally as a training aid for pilots and is frequently a source of breaking news on aviation incidents. For more information visit http://www.liveatc.net (@liveatc on Twitter and Facebook.com/liveatc on Facebook).

Some highlights of the SnFRadio broadcast schedule include:

Daily Specials-

AOPA LIVE on SnFRadio- Daily guests brought to us by The Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association (AOPA)- Literally! These are interviews scheduled and the guests brought to SnFRadio Studios by AOPA’s hard working staff!

EAA Daily Update- Each morning, EAA Officials will update us about their activities.

EAA’s Special Guest- Following the EAA update most days will be a Special Guest brought to us by our partners at EAA. Tentative schedule includes: Paul Poberzny, Tom Poberzny, & Rod Hightower, EAA’s past & present Presidents

The 99’s Present- Our friends from the 99’s, the international organization of women pilots, will be with us each day and they’re bringing VERY special guests- WWII WASP Pilots! Each day we’ll have a WASP regaling tales of their contributions to America’s involvement in WWII. Wednesday will be a 1 hour special featuring up to 10 WASP Pilots.

Women Shine at SUN ‘n FUN Presented by Women in Aviation International: Dr. Peggy Chabrian and her crew will bring special guests each day, highlighting the role of women in today’s aviation world.

Live Aviation Podcasts! Each day following the airshow, you can see & hear your favorite “voices in your head!” Our line up has been renewed for 2011-

The Uncontrolled Airspace Podcast – The very first podcast done live on SnFRadio starts out our week! Tuesday evening, Dave Higdon, Jeb Burnside & Jack Hodgson (and maybe some guests) will share their unique points of view on SUN ‘n FUN. And- They’ll return For “Brunch with the Boys” on Sunday at 10 AM for their wrap up.

The Mile High Flyers Podcast- Part of the crew of Denver Based “Mile High Flyers” will be LIVE on deck Wednesday.

The Pilot’s Flight Podlog- David Allen will host with live & internet in guests

The Gathering of Aviation Podcasters- Friday is our open mic night for Aviation Based Podcasters. Jack Hodgson is hosting this panel discussion.

#NotAtSnF11- Our Virtual Podcast returns! SnFRadio listeners will recognize our host, Steve Tupper’s voice from his excellent volunteer work creating some of the announcements you hear on SnFRadio. He’ll gather with other podcasters who are Not At SUN ‘n FUN 11 & Talk about how much they hate those of us who are. But remember, they hate because they love!

Evening programs- We’ll live remote broadcast the entire stellar line up of evening programs SUN ‘n FUN will be presenting in the AOPA Pavilion.

“The Holding Pattern”- This is the virtual airspace over Lakeland where SnFRadio recordings stack up, waiting for their turn to enter the pattern, turn final and land on SnFRadio. Every recording done during SnF11 will eventually land- Recorded interviews, Live interviews, announcements, schedules, updates- You never know who or what you’ll hear!

Dave chats with Barbara Walters-Philips, Chairman of the AeroSpace Educators Workshop & Bill Yucuis, President of the Central Florida Chapter of the Air Force Association, about this special training event taking place on Saturday, April 2, 2011 during Sun 'n Fun 2011.

With the rapid approach of Sun 'n Fun 2011, March 29-April 3, 2011, I'm jammed up with chairman duties and had decided to delegate the recording tasks to others by creating a new concept- Open Mic Announcements. While looking for content for volunteer announcers to record, I stumbled across this on the Florida Air Museum's web site. After reading it, I realized I wanted to do this one myself.

I recorded the story, edited, reviewed, and converted it. But as I was reviewing the final cut, I found myself moved by the story (something that rarely happens when I'm listening to myself in a recording)

After a little intro chit-chat among Dave, Robin & Lynne, EAA foundeer Paul Poberezny stops by the SnFRadio deck for a chat. Paul chats about keeping aviation alive, The International Take Someone to Fly Day, looking ahead for the sport of flying, and much more...

Jim McManus, President of the SPA, stops by the SnFRadio deck to Chat with John Long & Jack Hodgson about the Seaplane Pilot's Association. Some topics covered are the Seaplane landing guide, how to get your seaplane rating, LSA seaplanes, How to join, upcoming events and more...

John Long chats with Bob Ohl & Susan King from the Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum about their work saving & restoring historic aircraft as well as their dedication to aviation history by bringing WASP pilots to SnF.

In this chat, unfortunately cut short by a remote, SnFRadio co-hosts Robin Lamar, John Long & Jack Hodgson chat with Elaine Morrow, past prsident of the 99's, and Fran Stubeck, one of the current directors of The International WOmen Pilot's Association, about the WASP activities at SnF & some 99's information.

SnFRadio host Jack Hodgson chats with Ravi, aka- The Raviator, about Protecting your hearing, rejuvinating aviaiton from the ground up, Ravi's hectic schedule, and more... Co-host John Long joins in for the last couple minutes and discovers an interesting fact about aviatior & musicians...